A message for Felipe, Spain’s new king, from Fran, the unemployed clown

A message for Spain’s newly proclaimed King Felipe VI came from the very bottom of the economic food chain on Thursday, as Felipe, 46, assumed the throne abdicated by his 76-year-old father, Juan Carlos I.

Admittedly, the crowds were just one deep in some spots, perhaps understandable as the procession came the morning after the country’s beloved national soccer team was painfully ejected from World Cup contention, abdicating a crown held for the past four years. Others might chalk the thin ranks to the country’s being divided on the very notion of monarchy.

Barbara Kollmeyer

And that’s where Fran the clown was working — smiling and trying to persuade well-wishers to stop and pose, a service for which he’d take a donation of basically whatever they wanted to give. The late-morning sun had already brought the temperature up to 28⁰ (82⁰ on the Fahrenheit scale), and Fran was sweating through his makeup and three layers of brightly colored clothing.

As for what this 48-year-old street performer would say to the new king if granted two minutes of his time:

“I would ask him to try to improve things because we are in very bad shape. Of course I’m Latino, Latino-Spanish, but that’s not important. What’s important is to improve things for everyone who lives in Spain, for all Spanish and all Latinos who come from afar, fighting for a better life in Spain. At the end, we are worse off.”

Barbara Kollmeyer

Guards in front of Palacio de Cibeles.

Fran is among the few leveraging the regional holiday, which happened to coincide with the new king’s no-crown coronation, to try and earn a bit of extra money. There weren’t many vendors along the route — a smattering of flag sellers frantically hawked cheap flags for 2 euros each just outside the barricades where police checked bags before allowing entry to the motorcade’s path.

Barbara Kollmeyer

The parade.

Upon entry it became clear why the day wasn’t a huge commercial opportunity for the flag vendors, and why they were at it with such vigor, as city workers were handing out tiny flags by the dozen, for free.

Unlike in, say, the United Kingdom, in Spain royal trinkets are scarce. Tourist shops were hawking a smattering of coffee mugs and plates with a picture of the new king and his media-savvy, former-journalist wife, Letizia, 41.

Barbara Kollmeyer

Flags for free.

When Fran isn’t among those lining royal motorcades, he’s working not far away at Madrid’s most famous square, Puerta del Sol, just up the road. He’ll don a giant Mickey Mouse suit, wave to kids, push balloons and pose for pictures for tips, and he’s been doing that for awhile now. SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, a rather menacing Chucky, Spider-Man and magicians, singers, and more all work Sol.

Barbara Kollmeyer

Canine participation.

On a good day, Fran says he can bring in maybe 18 or 20 euros ($24 to $27), while his wife works part-time here and there. That’s hardly enough, he says. Fran came to Spain from Peru 10 years ago. He hasn’t worked a steady job in five years after losing his janitorial position in a municipal building, and, in common with much of Spain’s youth, three of his four children — they range from 14 to 24 — are also unemployed outside of odd jobs.

Ironically, he says, conditions are improving in his native Peru, but going home is not an option. “The flights are so expensive, with six people, how could I afford that?” he asks. Spain has endured a six-year downturn, with unemployment seemingly stuck at around 26%. Economic improvements have been incremental, at best.

Barbara Kollmeyer

‘Long Live the King.’

“Spain,” says Fran, “is now living like a third-world country.” But, just perhaps, it’s a third-world country with a second chance, exemplified by a youthful new king untainted by the scandal that has dogged his family.

“”Felipe is very close to the people,” Patricia Serrano, a wife and mother watching the motorcade, told the Wall Street Journal. “A lot of people felt [Juan Carlos] was very distant.”

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